Union sign veteran defender, Penn Charter grad Chris Albright

Penn Charter and FC Delco product Chris Albright is coming home.

The Union said Monday that they have signed the veteran 13-year Major League Soccer defender. Terms were not disclosed.

The 33-year-old Albright, who earned 22 caps with the U.S. national team, isn't expected to be a starter but he brings a valuable veteran defensive presence.

Last year, Albright appeared in eight games, making six starts with the New York Red Bulls in an injury-plagued season. He is a three-time all-star who has been part of three MLS championship teams - 1999 with D.C. United and 2002 and 2005 with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Union will be his fifth MLS team.

Albright earned MLS Best XI honors in 2005 and helped the Galaxy to a U.S. Open Cup Championship. He also helped lead the New England Revolution to a SuperLiga title in 2008.

A member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, Albright started in all six matches at the Olympics, scoring two goals and helping the team reach the medal round for the first time. He also was named to Bruce Arena's team for the 2006 World Cup.

Albright played college ball at Virginia for two seasons (1997-98) before leaving after his sophomore year for MLS.

The Union continue to train in Florida in preparation for their third MLS season, which opens March 12 in Portland, Ore.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at mnarducci@phillynews.com, 856-779-3225 or @sjnard on Twitter.